The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-07-07
FACTS ABOUT TURNlPS.
An Important Crop that Can be Planted
with Profit by Southern Farmers.

| FACTS ABOUT TURN1fSs
An Important Crop that Can be Planted
with Profit by Southern Farmers.
The farmers in this section are elated
over the prospect for good crop of both
corn and cotton. Oats are not very good
on account of dry weather. Wheat is
fair and will be of good quality if no vet
spell catches it in the field. We have
had fine seasons during the early part Of
the month, and if they continue we will
make abundant corn crops in this section.
As this is the season of the year to
begin preparation for a turnip crop, ]
will confine my remarks to this subject
In the absence of piece of land set
apart for the purpose, with cattle OF
sheep penned on it and kept we'll
ploughed, prefer piece of good stub
BILE land, provided preparation is begun
as soon as the grain is cut. The land
should be we'll ploughed at once, unless
it is too hard. In that event it should be
ploughed deep after the first rain. By
commencing the ploughing at once we
get the stubble turned and it decays very
rapidly. 1 have thought, when we'll
prepared, stubble land holds moisture
longer and pulverizes better than clean
land set apartjor the purpose. 1t is
very important in getting a stand of tur-
nips that the stubble should be ploughed
often in order that all the grain on it
may sprort.
If we would succeed with turnips, we
should haul out all the manure we can
get, even fifteen or twenty two.horse
loads to the acre, on the first opportunity,
and broadcast it over the land. The
manure at this season will be finer than
that made in winter, for we take it for
granted that every wide awake farmer
cleaned out all his stalls and pens for
comfort in the winter. If we'll manured
with the kind mentioned, it is far better
for turnips than any commercial fertilizer
that we can get. Avoid land that has
oats in it, as the oats will be more
trouble to eradicate than grass or weeds.
We can get rid Of the oats if they are in
the manure by hauling out in time to be
ploughed during the season in the land
for the oats to germinate. 1t takes a
good rain to cause oats to germinate at
that season of the year, therefore wheat
or barley stubble is preferable. A great
many farmers will allow oats to remain
in the turnips if they come up on the
land, hoping to make crop Of both tur-
nips and oats, but the two will not do
we'll together, and the result is they
neither make oats nor turnips.
After a thorough preparation of the
land lay off rows two and half feet
apart, bed up with anything that suits
and drag down the beds by running a
good two horse harrow across the rows,
which will leave them in oval shape and
we'll pulverized. To get stand of tur-
nips, two things are necessary: First,
good, fresh seed, and plenty of them, say
two pounds per acre; second, a good sea-
son. After planting, press the beds with
roller or anything that will answer the
purpose. A harrow, turned upside down
and dragged leugthwise of the row,
answers very well, and is very good
thing to cover the seed with, answering a
two.fold purpose. I want to mention
here that I attach great deal of impor-
tance to fresh seed. We often lose q
stand of turnips by planting seeds that
have been carried over one, two, or even
more seasons. Such seeds have not lost
their vitality, but they will not germi-
nate as soon as fresh seeds by twenty four
hours. Rains in summer often are so
light that the land becomes dry in a
short while; hence, if old seeds are
planted, we failto get good stand until
ne have favorable weather.
usually plant rutabagas from the LIST
of August to the 25th. I'll fail to get a
stand of them, or don't get favorable
season to plant about that time, plant
the yellow aberdeen in September. !
prefer the rutabaga if I can get good
stand in August, as they keep better than
any other turnip we have, and are, per-
hsps, more nutritious for stock, but for
table use the aberdeen are equal to the
rutabaga, and taking into consideration
that they will grow larger and will bear
later planting, don't know that have
much preference. In fact, if was not
going to plant for stock [ don't know but
1 would prefer the aberdeen to any
other, as it gives longer time for prepa'
ration of land, by which we get rid of all
grass and weed. The aberdeen should
not be planted before the last of August
and can be planted and do we'll up to the
last of September. The fiat Dutch, 6
purple-top, is excellent for early table
use, but will not keep we'll in winter
therefore only few should be sown
For winter and spring salads there ii
none equal to the seven.top. l consider
it the poor mans turnip. Any one
can plant it and succeed, for it vii
thrive under careless treatment much
better than either of the above mentioned
varieties. The flowers of it in spring ar
very valuable for bees and will produc'
ten bushels or more of seed per acre
under favorable circumstances, and estl
mating them at 10 cents per pound, al
acre would bring s55. I sold $50 wortl
two years ago from fve-eighths of an acre
sold $45 worth to one firm at one ship
ment. Last year I sold about $40 wort
of turnips from an acre and a half o
land, besides what we used and fed ava.